12.06.2013

Gold Striker - Rumored tunnels...Is it true?

Recent news stated that there were rumors of Gold Striker earning more tunnels over the offseason (as to keep the neighbors and the park in good relationship). But how true is this? Where is the actual source of information? After hearing the rumor and seeing speculation on message boards, we decided to check out the Santa Clara/Great America "City of Santa Clara Smart Permit Center" page for any activity. Most importantly was going specifically to Gold Striker's permit, found here.

During the summer, Gold Striker closed briefly to add a new tunnel
midway through the ride as riders' screams were too loud.

Typically, when a permit goes up, it will say 1 of 4 things: Application Received, Approved, Active, and Finaled. It is pretty self explanatory what these terms mean. The Gold Striker permit is no longer in the "Active" stage, the stage we see when something is under construction or receiving modifications. It currently reads "Finaled" as in, everything should be all set. Based on this, we can expect Gold Striker to look the same as it did when we ended the season in October. No new walls have been added to the coaster during this time frame and no new permits were applied to add more sound walls to the ride.

While the tunnels add a unique aspect to the ride and offer quite a thrill, we can say that Gold Striker shouldn't have any more noise dampening measures thrown at it.